Begin Again
by Yay for Yaoi
Summary: After his last mission, Zevran finally feels he can begin again. Zevran/Male Tabris


**Author's Notes: Hey all, it's Kyrii! How's life going?! Sorry I haven't updated my Ouran stories, but I can't really focus on my chapter stories at the moment with life how it is now. Maybe after I graduate next month? But anyway, My obsessions since Ouran? TRC (That's an on off thing), xxxHolic, 9, and currently it's Dragon Age. So, expect a lot of Dragon Age. :3**

**Warnings: Guy Love and possibly spoiler depending on how far into the game you are.**

**Disclaimer: Dragon Age: Origins belongs to Bioware. And they did awesome. :3**

**Begin Again**

The weather was so nice, he couldn't help but let his mind wander. Behind him, Wynne and Leliana were chatting about something that he had no interest in. Dailen trailed quietly along beside him and he would smile every time the Mabari licked his fingers though the elf was sure that he was just tasting the rabbit soup that they had for dinner the previous night. It was a perfect day for travel.

Dailen's ears went up then and Iain arched a brow down at him before a woman came running around the corner.

"Please help us! We've been attacked by bandits!" The woman cried before she then began to run off to show the group where they were.

It sounded fishy to Iain and when he glanced back at this teammates, he could tell that they had the same thought as he did. However, his conscious wouldn't allow him to just walk away. What if these people really were in trouble? Iain gestured for the others to follow him as he then jogged to catch up with the woman.

She hadn't gone too far when she had finally stopped next to two men. She whispered to one of them and he turned back to look at the approaching group. Iain slowed to a stop and knew that this was an ambush now from all the people he could see surrounding them. Iain's attention was drawn to the smug looking man who was obviously leading this operation.

"It's an ambush." Iain announced calmly as he took out the sword and dagger he usually fought with. Leliana pulled out her bow then and Wynne readied her staff while Dailen growled next to him. The elf at the head of the operation arched a brow, possibly surprised by how calm the Grey Warden was about being ambushed. The elf then raised his hand.

"Attack!" The darker elf called out in an accent that was exotic to Iain.

"I'll go after the leader, you three kill everyone else." Iain instructed before he then ran towards where the leader was drawing his own twin blades. Iain's hands were quick as he ran; cutting open one woman's neck here, stabbing and twisting a man's guts there. Finally, his bloodied blades met the clean ones of the leader. The blades clashed over and over until they were at a stalemate and Iain was fighting against the darker elf's strength.

"S-So the Grey Warden is an elf hm?" The elf asked, strain to hold back Iain in his voice.

"Surprised that y-you have to kill your own kind?" Iain asked in response, his own voice straining.

"Not at all a-actually. This is h-hardly rare." The darker elf pushed more against Iain before he raised one of his legs and kicked the younger elf hard in the back of the knee cap.

With that, Iain fell back. He didn't have much time to recover though as the darker elf was on him again. The two blades came at him quickly but Iain rolled out of the way and jumped up, his arms in full swing to deal the finishing blow to this elf. That's when the reaction of the darker elf caught his attention. He didn't flinch to try and defend himself, nor did he look like he was ready to beg for his life. He simply closed his eyes and waited for Iain to kill him. Iain changed his mind to kill the darker elf then and simply brought the hilts of his blades down on him. It knocked the darker elf out cold and Iain took in several deep breaths, then looking around.

Dailen had taken no mercy on the enemies on the ground level while Wynne and Leliana had killed the bandits with arrows.

"Iain! Are you ok?" Leliana asked as she approached.

"Yea, why do you ask?" Iain asked as he began to wipe the blood of his victims off on his shirt.

"You've got an arrow in your back." Wynne said carefully, as if not to alert Iain.

Iain blinked in surprise to this and turned his head to try and see the arrow but it was in his blind spot.

"Huh, I didn't even notice."

"Apparently." Leliana said with a bit of sarcasm as she moved forward to check his pulse.

"What are you doing?" Iain asked as he finished cleaning off his blades and sheathed them.

"I'm going to remove the arrow." Leliana stated as she then broke off the feathered end of the arrow.

"Yea yea, let's wait until camp to do that. Right now we've got to worry about this guy." Iain stated as he gestured to the darker elf on the ground.

"You didn't kill him?" Wynne asked a bit in surprise.

"No. I thought we could use him for something. Do we have any rope?" Iain asked as he looked up at Leliana and Wynne. They didn't but after looking around the area, they found some rope and tied up the darker elf with it. Ten minutes later, the elf woke up.

"Hm...what? I'm still alive?" The elf muttered a bit in surprise.

"Not for much longer if I don't get the information I need." Iain asked, though he didn't sound too serious about it.

"What is it you would like to know, Warden?" The darker elf asked, shifting a bit in his bindings.

"Who are you? And who sent you?"

"My name is Zevran...or Zev for short. I am part of the Antivan Crows."

Iain blinked before he looked back at Leliana, asking for an explanation.

"They are an order of assassins, very powerful and renowned for always getting the job done. Someone went to great expense to hire this man." Leliana stated, seeming a bit surprised that this elf had come from Antiva to kill them.

"Quite right." Zevran affirmed, watching Leliana now.

"Who hired you?" Iain asked, figuring it was a more important question then why he was so eager to die earlier.

"Teryn Loghain."

'No surprise there.' Iain thought idly before he looked down at Zevran.

"And you're telling me all this why?"

"Because you asked. I was not paid for my silence you see."

"Ah, ok. Well I guess you can go then."

"Actually, I can't really. See, since I failed to kill you I am now dead to the Crows. Since you didn't kill me, the Crows will send someone to kill me themselves. The only way out however is to sign up with someone the Crows cannot touch...so..."

"So you want to join with me to fight the darkspawn in return for your life." Iain said, already seeing where Zevran was going with this.

"Exactly."

Iain glanced back at Wynne and Leliana, waiting for one of them to list all the reasons why he shouldn't bring Zevran with them. Neither of them seemed to oppose too much and so Iain turned back to Zevran.

"Sure I guess." Iain then began to untie the darker elf.

"Welcome Zevran." Leliana said cheerfully, which surprised Iain a bit. He then held out his hand and helped the darker elf up. Now that he could look at him more clearly, Iain could tell that Zevran was maybe in his late twenties or early thirties. Not that it mattered his age.

"I hereby pledge my oath of loyalty to you. I am your man without reservation. This, I swear." Zevran stated then, looking Iain straight in the eye to show that he meant what he said. Iain smiled then which Zevran made a bit of a face at.

"Glad to have you aboard."

b-Later That Night.-/b

"You're bringing an assassin with us now?!" Alistair said in a skeptical voice.

"He could be useful." Was all Iain responded with before Leliana walked over to Iain.

"We need to remove that arrow now."

"Aw, why? It feels interesting having it in there." Iain said with a fake frown, then drinking more of his soup.

Leliana rolled her eyes softly as she then knelt down next him.

"This is going to hurt." Leliana stated before she started pushing on the arrow. She wasn't lying when she said it was going to hurt. Iain's eyes widened and he cried out as he could feel the arrow going deeper into his body.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Iain shouted, moving away from her in a scramble.

"This is the only way it's going to come out! I can't pull it out or you'll bleed more! Now come over here so I can get it out!" Leliana stated, moving back closer to him.

"No!" Iain jumped up to run away but was grabbed by Alistair then.

"Iain, what are we going to do with you?" Alistair said with a slight sigh. This wasn't the first time the elf had gotten hurt, and it certainly wasn't the first time he had made a big deal about it.

"Let me life the rest of my life with an arrow in my back?" Iain said hopefully, pulling up his best smile for the wannabe templar.

"Haha, nice try." Alistair before he held Iain tighter. Iain struggled but he had no hope of escaping Alistair.

"Here Leliana, get him now."

Iain thrashed before Leliana began to push on the arrow again and Iain tensed up, crying out.

"Ah! Stop it!"

The cries lasted for awhile before Leliana finally had the bloody arrow in hand.

"There, that wasn't so hard was it?"

Iain didn't reply as he stood in Alistair's arms weakly.

"I hate you." Iain grumbled, which neither Leliana or Alistair took seriously.

"Why don't you go wash up? It's getting late." Alistair pat Iain on the shoulder gently before the elf began to walk off as if he were in a daze.

"Honestly, he can be so immature sometimes." Leliana muttered as she tossed the arrow aside.

"He IS the youngest of us." Alistair stated before he then looked around.

"Where did that assassin go?" The wannabe templar muttered before he glanced to the bushes where Iain had gone to.

Meanwhile, Iain lazily pulled at his clothes until they were off and he slipped into the cold water of the river. Leliana often asked him how he could stand the water being so cold and Iain didn't quite understand that someone could take a 'hot' bath.

Iain never minded the cold water though and just sat there for a few minutes, cleaning out his wound with the water.

"You're not used to pain are you?"

Iain turned back to see Zevran sitting on a stump off to the side of the river, watching Iain.

"I guess I should be, growing up in the Alienage and all." Iain stated before he shrugged.

"Before you can officially become an assassin in the Crows, you have to go through training which is often excruciatingly painful." Zevran stated, resting his jaw in his hand as he watched the younger elf. The city elf was pale, which made him shine in the moonlight and the reflection of the water. It was a captivating sight.

"Oh? I guess I could never be an assassin in the Crows then." Iain said, a chuckle in his voice.

"Probably." Zevran said, a bit amused as well.

It grew quiet between the two elves before Iain moved a bit closer to Zevran.

"So, tell me what it's like in Antiva. I've hardly ever been outside of the walls of the Alienage in Denerim." Iain asked, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

"Antiva...ah, she is quite beautiful. She is much warmer then Ferelden and the women there are hard to rival."

Zevran talked about Antiva for awhile before he then noticed that Iain was falling asleep...and he was in the river.

"You should probably go back to camp. I'm sure the others assume that I've killed you by now."

"Yea...you're probably right." Iain said with a yawn before he then stood and climbed out of the water, getting dressed.

"Good night." Iain said as he walked away.

"Good night." Zevran answered before he looked up at the moon. For some reason, he felt that maybe he could live like this. Traveling with the Grey Warden and doing some good for once in his life.

He could begin again, finally.


End file.
